Glimmer

After 49 hours of no electricity, we went to Boston Market for yet another meal out. It's amazing how hard it is to find plentiful vegetables at most "family-friendly" restaurants. Want green veggies at a Mexican place? Order guacamole. How about at your local bar/grill, pleasantly loud enough to mask the sound of your fussy child who's eaten out for 3 day in a row? You'll be lucky to get lettuce on your burger.

Boston Market is good and it's fast; it's close and it's not too expensive. Ellie and I scarfed down green beans, corn, and spinach. Paul, apparently immune to a craving for vegetables, had a meat-heavy pot-pie with a side of stuffing - with gravy, natch.

We got home after dinner, tired and a little sticky, beginning to feel that this pattern of eating out and having no electricity at home would be our new life. At 50 hours post-blackout and counting, suddenly, the world got brighter for just a moment. Not more lightening! A positive sign!

Paul started giving Ellie her bath, once again by the light of the hurricane lamp, while I tried to read by the waning light at the bedroom window. Slowly, I became aware of a dull roar from just outside and below my window. Is that. . .? Could it be . . . ? I looked into the bathroom and exclaimed, cleverly, "Hey! It's bright!" The power was back on, the air conditioner whirring away and drying out the carpets. Glory, glory! Even better, Paul cleaned out the frig while I attempted to put Ellie to bed.

If Ameren would give us a $100 voucher for groceries, I'd insist that we came out ahead for the week. It was fun, being without power for a while. Sort of a mini-adventure. And I went to bed at a reasonable hour 2 nights in a row!